Cavalier decision pays off for Revs' Tierney

Chris Tierney already knew he wanted to pursue a career in Major League Soccer when his playing days were over with the University of Virginia. Growing up in Wellesley, he had watched the Revolution closely, going games frequently and even getting season tickets for a couple years.

Chris Tierney already knew he wanted to pursue a career in Major League Soccer when his playing days were over with the University of Virginia.

Growing up in Wellesley, he had watched the Revolution closely, going games frequently and even getting season tickets for a couple years.

But when his college career was over, the Cavalier coaches told him their opinion on his playing future - he could play in a minor league, or at best be on an MLS developmental team.

But neither of those options appealed to Tierney. He wanted a shot to make it in MLS, so shortly after graduating in 2008, he emailed Paul Mariner, then a Revolution assistant coach who Tierney knew from his youth club days with the Greater Boston Bolts.

"I had a little bit of a relationship with Paul so I sent him an email saying I'd love to get a shot to play with the Revs and show you what I can do," Tierney said. "He said, 'sure, we'll have a tryout and take a look."'

It didn't take long for the Revs to decide they liked what they saw. New England took him in the supplemental draft in June 2008 and he was on the field for the team the next month in the U.S. Open Cup and the SuperLiga.

It was a proud moment for Tierney after the Virginia coaches' recommendations.

"(The coaches said) maybe I should look at the USL or do something else with my life," Tierney said. "I took their advice, but I knew there were other coaches who would feel differently, so I took a chance here and luckily it worked out."

He's been a full-time player for the Revs since last season, playing defense and midfield. He played in 27 of 30 games last year and had a goal and four assists, and this year he's played in 17 games with two goals and two assists.

His parents, Cathy and Sandy, who still live in Wellesley, make it to nearly every home game, as do many old friends.

"It's a dream come true," Tierney said. "Growing up it was always a goal of mine to play pro soccer and I'd go to watch the Revolution. Now that I'm playing here on the team, having always rooted for the Revolution, it's really a dream come true."

Although Tierney disregarded the advice from his UVA coaches, he did take in the underlying message - he needed to get better.

His skills were always there, and so was the ability to play multiple positions (he was mostly a midfielder with the Cavaliers), but his decision-making needed improvement.

"It's just about experience, making better decisions and eliminating mistakes," he said. "That's what it comes down in this league - if you make mistakes you get punished. It's just about recognizing situations and making good decisions and trying to minimize errors.

Page 2 of 2 - "The more reliable you can be as a player, the more coaches can rely on you, the more chances you're going to get to contribute."

According to Revolution coach Steve Nicol, consistency is the area Tierney's improved the most in the last three years.

"The biggest thing is his consistency," Nicol said. "When you grab a kid, you're looking to see how he moves around and how he does in practice. His understanding of the game has just gotten better. He sees the field. His consistency is great. As a coach it's a great thing, I know what I'm going to get every time."

Tierney, who lives in Boston, said he didn't have a backup plan when he tried out for the Revs. Luckily for him, he didn't need one.

"I wanted to give it a go at the highest level and I was confident that I could play here, so I'm glad it worked out," he said. "If I could've hand-picked a club, it would've been here."

(Dan Cagen is a Daily News staff writer. He can be reached at 508-626-3848 or dcagen@wickedlocal.com.)